Thanksgiving Box Office Record: ‘Moana 2’ Scores Dazzling $225 Million Debut, ‘Wicked’ Adds Huge $118 Million
UPDATED: Movie theaters finally have something for which to be thankful.
Disney’s “Moana 2” cemented a new Thanksgiving box office record with $225 million over the five-day holiday frame, obliterating the previous high-water marks set by 2019’s “Frozen II” ($125 million) and 2013’s “Hunger Games: Catching Fire” ($109 million). It also stands as the biggest five-day debut in history, overtaking Universal’s 2023 behemoth “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” ($205.6 million). The film’s three-day tally of $139.7 million registers as the best start for Walt Disney Animation ahead of “Frozen II” ($130.2 million the weekend prior to Thanksgiving). Ticket sales for the “Moana” sequel were higher than Sunday’s estimates of $135.5 million over the traditional weekend $221 million over the five-days and far above early projections of $135 million to $145 million.
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“‘Moana 2’ has far surpassed our high expectations this weekend and is a testament to the phenomenon that ‘Moana’ has become,” Disney Entertainment co-chairman Alan Bergman said in a statement. “This is a moment to celebrate, and we’re thankful to all the moviegoers and fans who’ve helped make this a record-breaking debut.”
And it’s not just the Polynesian animated adventure that’s keeping the nation’s multiplexes booked and busy. Universal’s adaptation of “Wicked” and Paramount’s action epic “Gladiator II,” both of which opened last weekend, are continuing to bring out audiences. Together, the trio of big-budget blockbusters are powering the biggest Thanksgiving period on record with approximately $422 million across all films. It shattered the previous benchmark set in 2018 with $315 million in grosses across all films, led by “Ralph Breaks the Internet,” “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald” and “Creed II.” This year’s attendance has massively improved from 2023, which was one of the worst in modern history as Disney’s “Wish,” “Hunger Games” prequel “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” and Ridley Scott’s historical drama “Napoleon” pushed ticket sales to just $125 million in total.
“Wicked” enjoyed another huge turnout, notching the No. 2 spot with $81.1 million over the traditional weekend and $118.2 million over the five-day holiday stretch. Director Jon M. Chu’s big-screen take on the popular Broadway musical has generated $263.1 million in North America and $359.2 million globally to date. It already ranks as the highest-grossing Broadway adaptation in domestic box office history, ahead of 1978’s “Grease” ($188.62 million), as well as the fourth-biggest worldwide stage-to-screen reimagining behind 2008’s “Mamma Mia” ($611 million), 2012’s “Les Miserables” ($442 million) and “Grease” ($396 million). Universal needs “Wicked” to eventually surpass those musical films on global box office charts. That’s because “Wicked” is the first of the two-part saga (the second installment, chronicling the back half of the stage show, lands on the big screen in 2025), each of which carry a $150 million price tag — not including the studio’s maximalist marketing blitz.
“Gladiator II” took third place with $30.8 million over the traditional weekend and $44.2 million over the five-day frame. Ridley Scott’s long-gestating sequel to 2000’s “Gladiator” has grossed $111.4 million domestically and $320 million worldwide so far. The “Gladiator” sequel was also massively expensive to make, costing more than $250 million to produce and another $100 million to market to global audiences.
“Moana 2” is also making waves at the international box office, where it’s opening ahead of expectations with $163.8 million and bringing the global tally to $389 million. The animated adventure is the latest 2024 theatrical smash for Disney following the mega successes of June’s “Inside Out 2” ($1.6 billion) and July’s “Deadpool & Wolverine” ($1.3 billion). These blockbusters have cemented a rebound after the studio’s disastrous 2023 with flops like “The Marvels,” “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny,” “Wish” and “Haunted Mansion.”
Movie theaters are especially grateful for the windfall of “Moana 2” because the follow-up was greenlit as a television show for Disney+ before it was retooled into a theatrical feature film. The original “Moana” was released in 2016 and opened to $82 million over the extended Thanksgiving weekend. The family film performed solidly with $680 million at the global box office but exploded in popularity on Disney+ and other digital platforms. In 2023 — seven years after its big-screen debut — “Moana” was the most streamed movie of the year in the U.S. with 11.6 billion minutes watched, according to Nielsen. Given its enduring appeal, Disney is developing a live-action remake of the original for release in 2026.
“This was originally envisioned as a direct-to-Disney+ streaming production before it was shifted to a theatrical release at the start of the year. Smart decision,” says David A. Gross, who runs the movie consulting firm Franchise Entertainment Research. “These are gigantic numbers.”
Dwayne Johnson and Auli?i Cravalho reprise their voice roles as the tattooed demigod Maui and the Polynesian heroine (who is not a princess) Moana in the sequel, in which the plucky wayfinder journeys far into the ocean to find a hidden island and break a curse. Lin-Manuel Miranda, who wrote such memorable hits as “How Far I’ll Go” and “You’re Welcome” for the first film, didn’t return for the second, instead passing songwriting duties to Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear, the duo behind “The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical.” Reviews have been mixed, with a 65% on Rotten Tomatoes, but critical sentiment isn’t factoring into turnout for families. Audiences bestowed the film an “A-” grade on CinemaScore, which certainly bodes well for word-of-mouth and repeat viewings during its theatrical run.
In a distant fourth place, “Red One,” a Christmas-set action comedy starring the Rock as Santa’s head of security, added $12.8 million over the traditional weekend and $18.7 million over the five-day holiday frame. The Amazon MGM film has grossed $75 million in North America and $148.7 million globally after three weekends of release. “Red One,” which was originally developed for streaming before pivoting to cinemas, cost $250 million, so it’ll struggle to climb out of the red in its theatrical run.
Lionsgate’s family-friendly “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” rounded out the top five with $3.2 million over the traditional weekend and $4.85 million through the extended Thanksgiving period. The feel-good holiday film cost $10 million and has grossed $32 million in North America since opening four weeks ago.
(Updated on 12/2 with final numbers)
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